It is possible to involve groups in a change, even when completely conflicting interests are pitted against each other. The secret is to use the conference method Future Search, which aims to bring different groups together to find “common ground” — the smallest common denominator that everyone can agree on.
What is Future Search?
Future Search is a conference format developed to kick-start a change process in a company or organisation. The aim of the conference is to increase employees’ readiness for change by:
- Honouring the old
- Raising awareness that the change is necessary and urgent and concerns every person in the room
- Finding an inspiring, engaging vision
- Moving into concrete action
Future Search should only be used if the management team genuinely wants high involvement from the organisation — but it can then be a powerful part of a well-planned Step 4 in Kotter’s eight-step plan. Done right, the employees at the conference can become highly engaged change agents throughout the whole organisation.
The setup in brief
Over two and a half days, you bring together a large number of employees — up to a few hundred — selected to be representative of all levels and the whole organisation. During the days, you work in a recurring flow from individual reflections to small-group discussions and sharing with the whole audience.
The conference moves through five phases:
- The past — identify positive elements from the past that are important to preserve
- The present challenge — raise awareness of why change is needed
- The future — find an engaging vision to strive towards
- The gap — analyse the difference between the current organisation and the new vision
- Action — work through the make-or-break questions and hand the continued work over to the organisation and the working groups formed during the conference
When does the model fit?
Suitable for:
- Involvement when management genuinely wants to build engagement — and let those who work closest to customers and suppliers contribute to co-creating a way forward for a larger transformation
Less suitable for:
- Roll-outs of centrally decided changes where the opportunity to influence is small
- Rationalisation projects — cuts often stir up strong emotions that make involvement work harder
Keep in mind:
- Before Future Search, the change project’s platform needs to be developed
- Once the direction is set, continued involvement around the way forward should be carried out to make implementation easier
- Implementation should be planned so that the new direction is genuinely realised
- After implementation, new ways of working, roles and processes should be incorporated into existing governing documents